James Teit writing in CJ

[David Robertson]

Surprisingly few of you suggested translations of this passage, so I'm
going to contribute my own.  --  Dave R.

On Tue, 31 Aug 2004 00:53:22 -0400, David Robertson <ddr11 at COLUMBIA.EDU>
wrote:

>"Tena's a'nkotte na'ika tlap pe'pa ko'pa na'ika tellekom Magnus Jamieson
(A little while back I got a letter from my friend Magnus Jamieson)

>kla'sla [WHO] me'tlait ko'pa Levenwik, pe ya'ka wa'wa kopa naika: 'Hai'as
(who lives in Levenwik, and he said to me: 'I really)

>tloos poos na'ika cha'ko kopa ya'ka o'kook kool, pe me'tlait konamokst.'
(should visit him this winter, and stay together.')

>Tena's a'nkotte ya'ka me'maloost ight mo'osmoos pe ya'ka huihui haiyu' dlai
(Recently he killed a cow and he bought a bunch of dry)

>pish, ka'kwa yaka stop [HAS] haiyu' mo'kamok, pe ya'ka te'ke na'ika
(fish, so he has plenty of food, and he wants me)

>ko'namokst ya'ka mo'kamok ko'nawe.  Ya'ka ma'mook pish ko'nawe o'kook
(to eat it all with him.  He fished all this)

>kapi't [LAST] warm, pe ya'ka tena's too'ls [GAIN] chi'kamen, ka'kwa ya'ka
(last summer, and he earned a little money, so he)

>wa'wa tlona's le'le ya'ka meli-i'.  Naika komto'ks ya'ka to'mlon [HEART] --
(says maybe soon he'll get married.  I know how he thinks--)

>ya'ka te'ke e'lep kopa' na'ika, pe te'ke haiyu' hi'hi poos na'ika ki'mta.
(he likes to be ahead of me, and likes to have lots of laughs if I'm
behind.)

>Pe na'ika to'mlon [THINK] ya'ka tsi'pi -- poos ya'ka he'lo i'skom
(But I think he's mistaken -- if he doesn't take)

>kloo'tchman haia'k tlona's na'ika e'lep.  Na'ika kola'n te'llekom tlap
(a wife soon maybe I'll be first.  I hear the people got)

>haiia' [PLENTY] pish ko'pa Shetland o'kook warm.  Dlet tloos ka'kwa, poos
(plenty of fish in Shetland this summer.  I hope so, and if)

>kwa'nsem ka'kwa dlet e'lep tloos.  Wek le'le na'ika tla'tawa moo'sem ka'kwa
(it's always like that[,] better yet.  Soon I'm going to sleep so)

>na'ika ma'mook kapi't o'kook pe'pa a'lla [NOW]."
(I'll end this letter now.)

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